Instructions

1. In a large pan or cast iron skillet, brown the ground meat over medium/high heat. Cook the meat until it is fully cooked through, this should take about 8-10 minutes.
2. When the meat is cooked, add in the chopped onion and bell pepper. Continue cooking until the vegetables are tender.
3. Add in the garlic and let it sweat for 2-4 minutes. When the garlic done, add in the italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to combine the spices with the meat mixture and allow the flavors to develop.
4. Deglazed the pan with the wine and let the wine cook out until reduced by at least half. There should not be a lot of liquid left after it has mostly reduced. Make sure to scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan while the wine is cooking.
5. Next, add in the whole tomatoes, tomato sauce and the sugar. Break up the whole tomatoes as you stir the sauce.
6. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower to a simmer. Let the sauce cook on low for 1-3 hours (or as long as you want- it will only get better and better). When the sauce is ready, stir in the butter. The butter gives the sauce a silkiness and cuts through all the acidity from the tomatoes. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the basil during the last few minutes of cooking the sauce.
7. While the sauce is finishing up, cook the spaghetti according to the package instructions. When the spaghetti is al dente, add it directly into the meat sauce. Add the parmesan on top of the pasta, then toss everything together. The parmesan will melt and stick to the pasta which helps the meat sauce stick to the pasta as well. Serve hot with extra parmesan and basil. Enjoy!